12 Weeks Old Doesn't Sleep "Much"during the Day

I agree with the 3 other ladies that say "get a sling"! He is not very heavy and will sleep well and you can still get things done. It does not spoil him and he will outgrow this need very soon so enjoy him being next to you while you can. It's a good thing. Mommies in many countries have been doing this for thousands of years. Enjoy!
Love,
A.

I second the swing. It was a life saver. I used a sling to and it was helpful, but I personally just could not do it all the time.

get a sling or wrap.

my baby is 18 weeks and i have the same problem!! i've found walking with him in the stroller or driving works great and then you don't have to take him out of the car seat. i've also started letting him cry for a few minutes after laying him down in the crib. right when i can't stand to hear him cry anymore he falls back asleep. good luck!

Hope someone can help.

All I want to say is: Be sure to take care of yourself. This WILL pass, so - if all you do is hold him all day - don't worry - he will finally get used to being alone. (He's been with you 24/7 for over 9 months now, you know. You're all he knows.)

L.,

The other mom's have good advice, however as a mother to 3 boys I can tell you that you will eventually start something that you can't stop or that baby will get so use to that you won't be able to stop. My advice is to try swaddling the baby and laying him down in a portable crib in the same room as you are in. I did this with my last son and it worked like a charm. For a while all he wanted was for me to hold him and I need to get things done. Well I discovered that if I swaddled him and layed him down in the pack n play and he could still hear and see me that he would be okay and sleep sometimes for up to 3 hours at a time during the day. If that doesn't work, try a swing.

Good luck.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
13, 6 and 3

Hi,try a sling, the baby will be snuggled and content enough to sleep and your hands will be free to do other things. My daughter is 1 and we still use the sling, it's been a life saver and she LOVES it! We use a Hot Sling but there are others too, try searcing for baby slings online you'll find tons. Good luck and enjoy your lil one! :)

try getting a rocking baby swing....my first child was like that and as long as she was physically moving, she was happy!

I am new to Mamasource and saw your question. My baby is 11 months now, but had colic very bad for the first 3-4 months. We used a swing during the day for her and this really helped her sleep well. Otherwise, she did similar to your little boy. We were already holding her all night long as she screamed so badly from the colic. We really needed a little down time. Without the swing, I would have had to hold her all day too. It was a lifesaver! As soon as she became more active we eliminated the swing and she never missed it. Now she is doing great! Lots of holding is wonderful for little babies and I think they really thrive from having that special touch. However, everyone needs a little break now and then. Good luck.

L.,
My son (who is now 12 mos) was the SAME way. You have to "teach" him to fall asleep on his own. So that when you lay him down, he will be able to soothe himself back to sleep. We did it with our son in the swing. We had to let him cry a bit. But it was the BEST thing we ever did!!! Now, we lay him down in his crib & he is able to get himself to sleep.
Good luck!
H.

Where does he sleep at night? If it's in bed with you then maybe you can start getting him used to his crib during the day during his naps--try putting an item of your clothing with your smell with him in the crib or if he's used to a toy that plays music, put that in there too--start changing him in his crib and then let him lay and play ...little by little. Lay him in the crib while you fold laundry or organize things in his room...Does he sleep in his swing or bouncy seat? It doesn't always have to be the crib....and last but not least, let him cry. :) Set a limit that you're comfy with but he will be OK! I also loved babywearing! A sling will work or a soft structured carrier like a Beco or a mei tai--they are very sturdy and keep baby very close and you can be completely hands free---they support the baby into toddler age.

When your son starts to show the first signs of being tired, get him ready for a nap. Put him in his crib and see if he'll fall asleep on his own. My daughter was exactly like your son until she was 14 weeks old. All of a sudden she started to fall asleep on her own and take longer naps. I know it's hard, but it will get better!

hold that baby!
www.thebabywearer.com/forum
get a www.mobywrap.com or a hotsling (at target!)
or go to the babywearer, meet others and ENJOY that baby!

My 4 month old daughter was exactly the same way. She would sleep good at night but her naps were very short. What worked for me was putting a receiving blanket in her crib (where she naps) all laid out and ready for me to swaddle her. I rock her with a pacifier until she falls asleep and then I lay her on the receiving blanket and swaddle her with her arms down at her side. She now sleeps anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours. The pacifier helps keep her asleep when I put her down and the swaddling helps keep her from startling herself awake. I also think the swaddling reminds her of being in the womb. The important thing with the swaddling is the arms at the side and making it nice and snug. Hope it works for you!

L., Think about your child in a primitive way. He is only 3 MONTHS OLD. If he needs to be held 75% of the day, THAT is your job right now. I stressed about it too, but ultimately they need us now more than ever and you have a responsibility to give it to him. The swing/sling ideas are great, but if what he really wants is your comfort and contact with you, you wont be doing him any good. Plus some babies get addicted to those, so I'd be careful how much you are putting him in it. My suggestion is this: for two weeks let go of all the "I have tos" in your life. Accept that everything else is just going to have to wait. Let your son lead for the two weeks and give him all he wants of you. And enjoy it, drink it in. He will only be this cuddly for a short time. Then start to break the attachment by helping him. Don't just put him down and walk away. Encourage him with talk. "I know this is hard baby. You can do it, I know you can. Mommy is right here with you. I promise I wont let go more than you can handle, etc." You would be surprised, although they dont understand the words, if you mean what you say, they respond accordingly.

Amen to the swing! My daughter also did this. She is now 17 months and sleeps through the night by herself and takes 1 nap that lasts 2 hours all byherself in her room. The swing helped alot and dont feel guilty leaving him in there the mayority of the day. If that is where he is happy than let him be. He will outgrow this. I have 2 kids and they worked great both times.

Hi L.. My baby is 11 weeks old and he had the same issue. He actually sleeps through the night but gets short 10 minute "naps" during the day. He was so grumpy and I could tell he was fighting the sleep. I tried the swing and slings. The slings worked, but I couldn't keep him on me all day and if I sat down, he was awake again. I don't know if you are breastfeeding or not. I am and I decided he must smell me and knew when I sat him down. One day last week I had my husband take him from me and he placed him in the crib once he settled back down. He stayed asleep. I had him help me with this for several afternoons when he was home. Now the little one is staying asleep for longer periods in his crib (1 hour, plus). I also have a "vibrating bouncer" chair next to me and he is sleeping very well in it. I hope this helps. Hang in there...

I would get a swing they work miracles. try the fish one that swings either front to back or side to side. Our four month old has been sleeping in one since she was born it seems ( she prefers the side to side for now, I think the front to back upsets the milk). We probably have her hooked, but who cares, she sleeps all night, we also keep her well fed before we put her in, bundle her all up tight and keep a little light on so it is not pitch black and I think that helps keep her eyes closed. During the day keep it a little brighter that helps them close their eyes. Good luck.

I have always propped our children on king size pilows in the crib so it help to keep the milk down. Snuggle him up tight and place him in the middle of the pillow. You can support the underneath of the pillow up a bit with some rolled up towels. It works. Congratulations!!

I second Melissa's advice. Get a sling! I used Maya wrap http://www.mayawrap.com/ and also heart to heart sling http://www.heart2heart.ca/. Both were excellent and helped me out with the same situation. You can hold the baby and keep on doing what you have to do in the home. Baby sleeps tight from your body warmth, familiar scent and motion.

Best of luck to you!
A.

My son did the EXACT same thing! I feel your pain!
Someone suggested something to me that did help most of the time. They had me put a heating pad in the crib just before I was going to rock him to sleep. I'd move it just before I laid him down. I suppose it was going from my warm body to a cold sheet that was waking him up, so this eliminated that. It really did work. So give that a shot...hopefully it will do the trick for you as well!

L.,
What memories this brings back! My first daughter was like this. She would only sleep with me holding her. If I layed her down she would wake up with in 15 minutes. I tried so many things. Finally I started putting her down for a nap doing the same routine as at night. About 1 1/2 hours after getting up in the morning I would take her to her room, read and rock. Then put her down. The first few days was not easy. I would check on her every few minutes but then she started sleeping. Then for an afternoon nap the same thing after lunch. She started sleeping 2 hours each. Hope this helps